The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $613.10 Million Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,679,157 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 198,797 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.13% of Oracle worth $613,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 12.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $411,748,000 after purchasing an additional 121,874 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth $2,590,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 0.6% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,961 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,499,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $1,531,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ORCL. Mizuho lowered their price target on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of Oracle stock traded down $0.02 on Wednesday, hitting $140.77. 9,354,616 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,375,498. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $145.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $113.65 and a 1-year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

About Oracle

Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing.